Fourth Sunday in Lent, March 10

9:30 a.m. worship in person and online

with Baptism

Tom Are Jr. preaching

Worship bulletin

11:00 a.m. worship in person

with Baptism

Tom Are Jr. preaching

Worship bulletin

2:00 p.m. worship in person and online

The Gathering: Communion at 2:00

Joseph L. Morrow preaching

Worship bulletin

Sunday School Children in Worship

Children are always welcome in worship at Fourth Church. On the second Sunday of the month — which means this Sunday! — there is a special opportunity for them to join us: Sunday School children in the 9:30 a.m. class are invited to come to worship with their parents. At the time of the Gloria Patri, the children will meet up with their teachers and head to their classrooms.

Lenten Candles

Each Sunday during Lent we are extinguishing a candle at the front of the Sanctuary. Just as we lit candles on the Advent wreath to symbolize the light coming into the world through the birth of Christ, so now our extinguishing of candles points to the Lenten progression from light to the shadows of Good Friday and the crucifixion. 

On weekdays, Sounds Good! Choirs and Good Memories Choirs rehearse at Fourth Church under the direction of Jonathan Miller, who co-founded these singing opportunities for older adults, which make up the largest choral organization in the Chicago area.

This Sunday our choirs will sing the offertory anthem “How Can I Keep from Singing?” which was arranged by Jonathan and premiered by the Fourth Church Touring Choir on their recent trip to India.

(You may also recognize Jonathan’s name from another choral ensemble that performs regularly at Fourth Church: Chicago a cappella, which he founded in 1993.)

Daylight Saving Time begins this Sunday, March 10.

Be sure to set your clocks ahead an hour as we “spring forward.” We don't want to begin worship without you!

If you were with us for the Morehouse College Glee Club concerts in 2018 or 2020, you know you don’t want to miss the choral group’s return this coming Monday evening.

And if you weren’t able to be with us for their previous Fourth Church performances, treat yourself and plan to be with us Monday night!

Once again we are honored to host this musical group whose distinguished 113-year history includes among its many highlights singing at the funeral of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., performing for United States presidents, taking part in the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, and joining Natalie Cole in singing the National Anthem for the Super Bowl.

Come enjoy their moving music!

Monday, March 11

7:30 p.m.

in the Sanctuary

Suggested $20 freewill donation at the door

Next Sunday, March 17 is the deadline for remembering or honoring a loved one with a contribution toward this year’s Easter flowers that will decorate the Sanctuary. A list of individuals remembered and honored will be printed in the Easter bulletin.

Contributions can be made online at www.bit.ly/fpcgift

For more information, contact Gloria Vicente (312.252.3571).

Last Sunday we gathered for Communion at all three services, and this Sunday we will celebrate Baptism during morning worship.

If you are wondering how we come to celebrate sacraments the way we do or why these are the only sacraments embraced by Presbyterians, join Nancy Benson-Nicol this Sunday morning for a new Adult Education class.

Together we will explore Christian Sacraments — what they are, how we understand their meaning, and what ones are celebrated in other Christian traditions.

Sundays, March 10–17

11:00 a.m.

Borwell Dining Room and via Zoom

Register here

One Great Hour of Sharing

Throughout Lent we are receiving a One Great Hour of Sharing Offering (OGHS), which supports

• Fourth Church Meals Ministry
• Chicago Lights Tutoring
• Chicago Lights Social Service Center
• Presbyterian Disaster Assistance
• Presbyterian Hunger Program
• Presbyterian Self-Development of People

The work of the first five of these programs is readily apparent and likely quite familiar to most of us. Less familiar, perhaps, is the work of Self-Development of People (SDOP).

This particular ministry of the Presbyterian Church (USA) is committed to the empowerment of people who are economically poor, oppressed, and disadvantaged. As part of its work, it seeks to change the structures that perpetuate poverty, oppression, and injustice.

You can read more online about the critical SDOP core strategies for doing this:

• promoting justice
• building stronger communities
• seeking economic equity

You also can make a gift to the special offering supporting the above six programs by using the envelopes in the pew racks or by designating “One Great Hour of Sharing” when giving at fourthchurch.org/give or via Venmo or by writing it on the memo line of a check made payable to Fourth Presbyterian Church.

This year Palm/Passion Sunday is on March 24, the day when one of Fourth Church’s most beloved traditions takes place during morning worship: the procession of children entering the Sanctuary waving palms.

On this first day of Holy Week — the most important week on the Christian calendar — we celebrate with palms and loud hosannas Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem. But the tone will quickly change, as shouts of “Hosanna!” give way to the cries of “Crucify him!” and we remember where this journey leads: to the cross of Good Friday.

Palm/Passion Sunday | March 24

9:30 a.m. in person and online

with palm procession

11:00 a.m. in person

with palm procession

2:00 p.m. in person and online

The Gathering: Communion at 2:00

You can find our complete Holy Week and Easter worship schedule on our website at fourthchurch.org/lent-easter

With Daylight Saving Time arriving this weekend, spring is right around the corner — which means it’s the season for planning fall enrollment for the Fourth Church Day School!

If you or someone you know would be interested in learning more about our weekday preschool program for the 2024–2025 school year, please contact Day School Director Kathy Hager or visit the Day School website.

You can also learn more about the Day School through the free class being held on Friday mornings through March 22: “Together We Play: Movement and Family Yoga.”

The class takes place from 9:45 to 11:15 a.m. on Fridays in the Bumpus Room. 

This past Friday, Chicago Lights welcomed more than 400 guests to the Old Post Office for the Chicago Lights Gala of Hope. This evening, which included a live and silent auction, dinner, and dancing, also celebrated the sixtieth anniversary of the Tutoring program.

Through the generosity of members and friends, the Gala raised nearly $770,000, which will help build brighter futures through the programs of Chicago Lights in the coming year.

Special thanks to Gala Co-Chairs Caryn Borg-Breen and Betsy Zeiger along with the Gala volunteer committee, the Chicago Lights Board of Directors, and the Resource Development staff for their contributions to this fun and successful evening!

Today is International Women’s Day, and it is also the month in which we honor Women’s History. One way in which we are marking this is with the exhibit “The Boldness of Being: The Work of Natalie Jackson and Natasha Giles Somerville” in the Loggia Gallery, a celebration of the work of two African American women artists.

“Côte d’Ivoire” by Natasha Giles Somerville

“Growing Pains” by Natalie Jackson

Last weekend you may have noticed the canopy at the back of the south aisle of the Sanctuary. This is a protective canopy that has been installed below the 1914 Frederic Clay Bartlett ceiling panels that will be restored in the coming months.

This week if you were on campus, you may have noticed the scaffolding that is being installed around the end of the Manse and into the courtyard. This is to facilitate the work being done this spring to rebuild a chimney, replace damaged stones, reset loose stones, tuckpoint, and fix and paint windows.

Deaths

We give thanks to God for the gift of eternal life.

Suzanne (Sue) Brown

Died February 24, 2024

Roger Carlson

Died February 28, 2024

Betty Hutchison

Died February 21, 2024

Curious to discover more about this congregation, and the opportunities and resources available to you here, as well as learn about the Presbyterian Church (USA)?

Interested in becoming a member of Fourth Church?

Join us for one of our upcoming one-session Inquirers’ Classes.

Sunday, March 24

12:15 p.m. | Room 5F

Register here

Wednesday, April 10

6:30 p.m. | via zoom

Register here

For additional information about Fourth Church membership, visit our website or reach out to Matt Helms, Associate Pastor for Children, Family, and Welcoming Ministries, who would welcome hearing from you.

New Grief Groups

Grieving is a normal and important part of the human experience, which inevitably includes loss and suffering. Knowing we cannot escape loss, our Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being offers Grief Groups to help individuals grieve in a healthy, supported manner so they can move through the experience and into the rest of their life.

These groups meet for four weeks via Zoom. The next one will begin on March 13, with another group beginning May 15.

To learn more or to register for a group, please contact the group facilitator, Sharon Crawford-Tucker.

Conversation and Presence

For one-to-one spiritual and emotional support through life challenges, we encourage you to consider being paired with a Stephen Minister. To learn more about this resource, contact Nancy Benson-Nicol, Associate Pastor for Caring Ministries and Spiritual Formation, or leave a confidential message for a Stephen Minister at 312.573.3365.

If you would like to talk to a pastor, please call the church (312.787.4570) and your request will be forwarded to someone on the pastoral staff.

If you would like to alert pastoral staff to emerging pastoral care needs, illnesses, hospitalizations, or deaths, please email Gloria Fleming, Assistant for Caring Ministries and Spiritual Formation; however, if the situation is an emergency or requires immediate attention, please call the church at 312.787.4570 to be connected to the Minister on Call.

To set up a time to talk or for more information about how the staff of the Replogle Center for Counseling and Well-Being can be a resource for you, call the Center at 312.787.2729, ext. 2260.

Prayer

If you would like to submit a prayer request to our Morning Prayer or Deacon Prayer Ministries, please email Gloria Fleming or Nancy Benson-Nicol.

If you would like to join in praying for others — members of Fourth Church and those in need — we invite you to gather with us for Wednesday Morning Prayer weekly at 9:30 a.m. via Zoom. On the first Wednesday of the month we also gather at 10:00 a.m. for in-person Morning Prayer in Buchanan Chapel. (Our next in-person Morning Prayer will be on March 6.) For Zoom details, email Nancy Benson-Nicol.

Children in Worship

Children are always welcome in worship at Fourth Church! If you need to step out to comfort your child, the Hospitality Suite, on the second floor of the Gratz Center, is a quiet space for families where worship is livestreamed.

During Sunday morning services nursery care is available on the fourth floor of the Gratz Center for infants through two-year-olds.

Livestreamed Services

Livestreamed worship services (9:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.) are accessible by going to www.bit.ly/fpcvideos, subscribing to our YouTube channel, or clicking on the photo with a “Play” arrow on the home page of the Fourth Church website.

These livestreams are available to view anytime after the service begins if you would prefer to connect online at a later time. For tips on how to watch — from the beginning — a service already in progress, see www.fourthchurch.org/watch-from-the-beginning

Audio-only by phone is available (toll free) by calling 888.916.9166 just prior to the start of the service 9:30 service.